Meier has no complaints about his career

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kerry Meier will forever hold a place in the Border War’s rich history.

Just not at the position he hoped.

Meier, who made the game-winning touchdown catch in last year’s rivalry game, came to Lawrence as the much-hyped quarterback of the future. Maybe he could have been — at another program.

“Probably could have went and played quarterback somewhere and had tremendous career,” Kansas Coach Mark Mangino said this week. “Could have thrown up his hands and said, ‘I’m transferring. You recruited me as a quarterback and I’m leaving.’ ”

Instead, when current signal-caller Todd Reesing took the job in 2007, Meier became one of the feel-good stories of Mangino’s career.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior from Pittsburg, Kan., heads into his final regular-season game as one of the top wideouts in Kansas history. He needs 69 yards receiving today against Missouri to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year and just 12 to become the school’s No. 2 all-time receiver — 2,267 would stand second behind teammate Dezmon Briscoe, who leads KU with 2,998.

As for bearing a grudge against Mangino, wipe away the thought. Meier is not the grudge-bearing type.

When KU’s athletic department launched an internal investigation into Mangino’s treatment of players last week, Meier was among the first to visit the embattled coach.

“It was something he really didn’t expect and really didn’t want,” Meier said. “I just felt the need to go and talk to him, to be somebody to listen to him and somebody just to speak to. I went down, sat down with Coach for a little bit, made sure he was doing all right.”

Understand why then, in a week shrouded by questions of his frayed job status, Mangino made a point to trumpet the gospel of Meier.

In 10 years, Mangino said, he will not remember Meier’s statistics — 216 catches for 2,255 yards and 16 touchdowns. Or the down and distance — fourth-and-7 — when Meier caught a 26-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of KU’s 40-37 Border Showdown victory.

No, he will remember Meier as perhaps the most selfless player he’s ever coached. As the guy who comes into his office just to talk. As the guy who began his career among the country’s top 20 quarterback recruits but embraced the opportunity at receiver when Reesing outplayed him at his natural position in 2007.

“When I first committed to KU, I made a commitment to Coach Mangino that I was going to be here throughout the whole course of my career, no matter what happened,” Meier said. “My parents taught me well that when you commit to something, you stick to it.”

Said Mangino: “I will remember that character, and that carries you a long way in my book.”

The coach smiled.

“Maybe you get tired of me saying this, but you shouldn’t, because it’s positive,” he said. “We should never get tired of positives in our life. Kerry Meier is a very unique individual. … His philosophy in life is to give more than to receive. He wants to be helpful, he doesn’t want to be helped. He’s a guy, he’s not needy, but he’s always giving to others.

“He was one of the top quarterbacks in the country coming out of high school, and he made the shift to receiver without even a whimper. Not a word. When we asked him, he said, ‘If you think it will help the team, I’ll do it.’ ”